Shoe construction.



Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

\ 511mm P6. 7 [4136 P. C. T. LARSEN.

SHOE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.28,1914.

PEDER CHRISTIAN TRONDRUP LARSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLTNOIS.

snon CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

Application filed December 28, 1914. Serial No. 879,346.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PEDER CHRISTIAN TRONDRUP LARSEN, a citizen ofDenmark, residing at Chicago, in'the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ShoeConstructions, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains broadly to improvements in shoeconstructions, its object being to provide cushioning means fora boot orshoe which performs a dual function of absorbing shocks or jars incidentto walking and imparting flexibility to what would otherwise be a rigidor non; flexible sole.

The invention consists primarily of a heel plate or member havingpivotal connection:

at one side to the heel of the shoe and a cushion element therebeneathto receive the weight of the wearer in the act of walking, said cushioncomprising a spring having connection with the plate and the heel topermit of sliding action thereof.

This and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained bythe novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to behereinafter specifically described and claimed.

Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewthrough the shoe showing an embodiment of my invention, Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the cushioning means of this device, Fig. 3 is aplan view of the casing element with which the cushioning member coacts,Fig. 4 is a plan view of the heel plate, and Fig.

5 is a slightly modified form of spring designed to be used with mydevice.

Referring to the drawing, A represents the upper of ashoe which issecured in any desired manner to the sole B having at its rear portionthe heel C.

It may be mentioned that the illustration of the drawings depicts awooden or nonflexible sole but it will be obvious that the invention maybe used in conjunction with the ordinary type of shoe with equallysatisfactory results. A shoe consisting of a wooden sole necessarilyrenders walking somewhat diflicult by reason of its rigidity andtherefore the use of my shock absorbing arrangement causes said shoe towork as if it were flexible; it therefore follows that walking will beas easy as if the sole were of leather as in the common type of foot:wear. The heel C is provided with a recess indicated by l and disposedin and conform casing 2 is a bowed spring or cushion element 6, the saidspring being connected by a fastening member 7 to the central portion ofthe heel plate 4: and also connected to the casing at one side byfastening members 8 passing along into the heel. The opposite end orside of the spring 6 has sliding contact with the bottom of the casing 2as will be obvious by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawing. The spring 6normally holds the heel plate 4: elevated-at one side which is at therear portion of the heel and thus as the wearer of the shoe walks theplate 4 is rocked on its pivot at each step, the spring taking up thejar which would ordinarily be incidental to the use of a hard heel O.The movement of the plate is limited by contact of the free end thereofwith the seat 3 of the casing as well as contact of the free end of thespring 6 with the side wall thereof. This pivotal movement of the heelplate'impa-rts flexibility, as it were, to the wooden sole.

Under certain conditions it may be de sirable to provide a spring formedafter the manner disclosed in Fig. 5 of the drawing and designated 6,said spring being provided centrally thereof with a slot 6, beingotherwise formed and-arranged in the manner depicted in the preferredform-of the device. The fastening member 7 when the modified form ofspring is employed passes through the slot 6 and is designed to pre-Vent any buckling of the spring due to its positive connection with thecasing by the fastening members 8. The casing is preferably secured inplace in the recess 1 by screws or like fastening members 9 andpreferably the inner lining 10 of the sole extends over the heel plate4: as shownin Fig. 1.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 5- 1. A shoecomprising a sole and a heel, the latter being formed with a recess inits upper side, a casing disposed in said recess and having an outwardlyprojecting flange seated on the heel and disposed in a plane lower thanthe adjacent portion of the sole, a heel plate arranged above saidcasing with its upper surface substantially the same plane as theadjacent portion of the sole, a connection intermediate the front-endportion. of said heel plate and the front portion of the flange of saidcasing affording yielding movement of the plate, a bowed spring arrangedlongitudinally of the shoe and disposed between the heel plate and thebottom of the said casing, and a connection between the front end of thesaid spring and said casing, the rear end of said spring being disposedin spaced relation to the rear end of the casing but freely movabletoward and from the same.

2. A shoe comprising a sole and a heel,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressingthe ,Commissioner, of Patents,

the latter being formed with. a recess, a heel plate disposed above saidrecess and having its upper surface substantially in the same plane asthe adjacent upper surface portion of the sole, a connection between thefront end of said heel plateand the sole permitting slight upward anddownward movement of the plate, a spring disposed in said recess and ofbowed form, a connection be tween the central portion of said spring;and

the central portion of the heel plate with. the under side-of whichthespring engages, and a connection between, the front end of saidspring and the heel coacting to hold the heel plate in proper positionand to holda Washington, D. 0.,

